


Battle scars

by violetbear



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Post The Battle for Meridian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 02:37:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17357333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetbear/pseuds/violetbear
Summary: Reyes decides to surprise Scott at the outpost only to end up surprised himself. Scott has been keeping something from him.





	Battle scars

Reyes smiled as he made his way through the outpost. Scott was here, totally unaware he was about to get a surprise visit. He was spending the night at the outpost, not expecting to see Reyes until morning. But Reyes had decided he couldn’t wait that long. He hadn’t seen him since the celebration after the battle for Meridian. That had been three months ago. He didn’t want to wait another night.

He walked into Scott’s room and stopped just inside the door. Scott hadn’t noticed him. He was standing in front of the window, his back to him, scrolling through a data pad. Reyes moved quietly, intent on sneaking up behind him. The scent of something medicinal stopped him. He glanced down at the nightstand, surprised to see a clear glass filled with a bright blue liquid sitting there.

Scott sighed as he set down the data pad.  
“Let’s leave that for now. Anything else, SAM?”  
“Not for tonight. I believe you have other plans.”  
“What other---“He turned and his face lit up as he saw him. “Reyes.” He hurried to his side.

Reyes was sadden, though he made sure not to show it, to see the slight limp still present even after all this time. He had hoped Scott would recover completely.  
“What a surprise. What are you doing here?”  
“Surprising my boyfriend.” They fell on each other, each kiss more passionate than the last. But Reyes still noticed how Scott positioned himself between him and the glass. How his hand was trying to slide it out of sight. He pulled away and grabbed Scott’s hand.

“Scott”, he said, a tone of warning in his voice.  
“Reyes.” Scott pulled his hand away and started kissing his neck. “You smell so good. Where’s that bed?”  
He wasn’t going to be distracted. No matter how much he wanted the boy tugging at the bottom of his shirt. He twisted out of Scott’s grip, glad to see he had calculated correctly. He was in between Scott and the nightstand.  
“What’s in the glass, baby?”  
“It’s nothing.” Damn, Scott was good with those puppy dog eyes. “Darling, I want you.”  
“And I you. But first.” He reached behind him for the glass.  
Scott tried to grab his hand.  
“Reyes, leave it.”

They struggled for a couple seconds before Reyes accidently knocked Scott’s right ankle, forcing all of Scott’s weight onto his left leg. Scott’s leg buckled and he would have fallen to the floor if he hadn’t caught him, helping him to sit on the bed.  
“Damn it”, Scott cursed.  
“I’m so sorry. Are you okay”, he asked, sitting down beside him.  
Scott hooked his arms around his neck and pulled him down over him. Kissing him, he tugged again at his shirt.  
“Let’s lose this.”  
“Sure.” He stood back up and pulled the shirt over his head. He dropped it to the floor before leaning down to kiss his boy one more time before he became angry with him again. Scott smiled and reached for him to pull him down once more. “What’s in the glass, baby?”

Scott’s smile turned to a frown as he sat up, turning his back to him.  
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Maybe you should go, Reyes.” He stood up, careful not to put his full weight on his left leg. “I still have tons of work to do. I’ll see you tomorrow. Maybe.” He started to walk back towards his data pad, his limp just as pronounced as he had first seen it when Scott emerged from Meridian. He paused for a moment before shaking his head and continuing on to his data pad, picking it up.  
“SAM, bring up that layout again”, he ordered, pacing back and forth in front of the window. “Maybe we should move on them tomorrow instead of waiting.”  
“You need to take---“  
“The layout. Now, SAM.”  
“Your nerves won’t reg---“  
“Just shut up and bring up the layout. Now.”  
“I’m calling Lexi.”  
“Don’t you dare.” 

His foot snagged on the ground and he fell to the ground, data pad clattering to the ground beside him. “Just go away. Both of you”, he cried. “Just go away and leave me alone.”  
“Oh, Scott”, he murmured, grabbing the glass and straw and walking over to Scott. He knelt beside him, sticking the straw in the glass. “Baby, here.”  
“Don’t need it”, Scott mumbled, staring at the ground. “Get rid of it.”  
“Fine.” Hopefully this wasn’t about to backfire on him spectacularly. “Then I’ll drink it.”  
“You’re going to hate it.”  
He took a small sip. Scott was right. He hated it. The slight fruity flavour was quickly overpowered by a harsh medicinal taste. But the truth wouldn’t help him now.  
“Tastes great. Now your turn.”  
“You’re usually a great liar.” Scott kissed him, placing a hand on his cheek. “But Lexi’s potion is too much. Even for you.”

Well, he hadn’t thrown up and Scott was smiling at him again. So, he considered it a win. It would be an even bigger win if Scott would talk to him.  
“What did I just drink?”  
“Part pain killer, part asari weird science. I don’t know. Lexi and SAM made it. Ask them.”  
He didn’t like how Scott’s hand had traveled to his upper thigh, massaging it. He was obviously in pain. He had to get this drink into him. But pushing an issue never worked with Scott. He had to try another approach.  
“Asari, huh? Am I going to become biotic now”, he teased. “My skin turn blue?”  
“I’ve drank it twice a day for three months now. Do I look blue to you?”  
“I don’t know. Maybe.” He placed a hand under Scott’s chin. “Your eyes are dazzling.”

He kissed Scott as his mind worked. Three months? Scott’s limp not gone yet. This all led back to the battle for Meridian. Now he just had to get Scott to admit it. He pushed Scott back as he moved in for another kiss. He knew what Scott was trying to do. And though being on the floor hadn’t stopped them before, he needed to solve this mystery first.  
“What”, Scott asked, eyebrow raised. “Is my king too good for the floor now?”  
“I’ll do you anywhere, anytime, my queen. You know that. But---“  
“I know. And I know why too. Because you’re trying to prove you still can.”  
Scott braced himself on his shoulders to help him stand as he sat there, bewildered. Of all the people to bring up their age difference, Scott was the last... Oh, he was an idiot.

“Scott Ryder. Stop right there”, he ordered, getting to his feet.  
Scott stopped by the bed as he stalked over to him.  
“Reyes”, Scott sighed, looking down at his feet. “Maybe you should go. I’m tired. Too tired.”  
“Now who’s too old? Sit”, he demanded, pointing at the bed. “Or I’ll hold you down and force this into you.”  
Scott sat, clasping his hands in his lap. Reyes sat beside him.  
“Reyes, I’m sorry.”  
“I should say so. I’m only ten years older than you. I might not bounce back as fast as you... Then again, who does?”  
“Not about that. I mean, yes that too. But I should have kept you informed better. Then this whole thing never would have happened.  
“You can say that again.”  
“Which part?”  
“Oh, Scott. Never change. Here.” He handed the glass over. “Drink this. You need it.”

He watched to make sure Scott drank it all.  
“Ugh”, Scott groaned, looking into the empty glass. “Why can’t my taste buds just die already?”  
“Lexi can’t do anything about the taste?”  
“To be fair to her, she did try. But you put too much flavouring in. It messes with the results. So now I just really hate raspberry.”  
“Why did she pick raspberry? Or did you?”  
“She did. I don’t know. Never asked. But you should have tried it two and a half months ago before she put any flavouring in.”  
“No thank you. I’m regretting the sip I had.”  
He took the empty glass from Scott’s hand and set it on the floor before grabbing Scott’s hands in his own.

“Baby, why do you need it?”  
“Because somewhere in between the Archon ripping SAM away and interfacing without him...”  
Scott threw his arms around him, burying his head in his shoulder. Reyes said nothing. He just held him tight as Scott’s quiet sobs shook them both. Slowly the shaking stopped and Scott pulled away, wiping at his eyes. He remained quiet, knowing Scott needed no more prodding from him.

“The nerves in my leg”, Scott sniffed, running a hand under his nose. “They’re... Sorry to get so technical but fried, is how Lexi put it.”  
“That was highly technical”, he cupped Scott’s head in his hands, brushing a stray tear off with his thumb. “And the drink? It’s more than for pain relief, isn’t it?”  
“That and to try to regenerate the nerves. On my last check up, Lexi said she thought she saw some electrical activity but it was so fleeting she couldn’t say for sure.”  
Scott frowned before kissing him.

“I’m broken. Permanently, it would seem for now.”  
“Who all knows?”  
“Lexi, SAM, Sara... Harry... My squad.”  
“And no one else how?” Not even a whisper of this had reached him in Kadara. And if he didn’t know, no one else in the cluster had any idea.  
“I adjusted my armour. It compensates for my bad side. And SAM can help for a couple hours at a time.”  
“Which interferes with me helping the medicine”, Sam interrupted.  
“So why do it”, he asked.  
“My Pathfinder ordered me too.”

He didn’t need to ask SAM why. He already knew the answer. He hugged Scott close.  
“No one would ever consider you weak, baby”, he whispered. “You’re the strongest of us.”  
“Pathfinders need to project an appearance of---“  
“Hero of Meridian? Saviour of the entire cluster? Any of this ringing any bells?”  
“Maybe.”  
Scott pulled away, kissing him on the cheek as he did so.  
“Thank you. I guess I needed to hear that.”  
“I told you two months ago you needed to tell him”, said SAM.  
“Fine. You were right.”  
“You and SAM discuss me?”  
“No. Yes. But not like you think.”  
“What do I think?”

Scott kissed him before pushing him down onto the bed.  
“You think, I was right.” He kissed his cheek. “You think, I will love this boy forever.” The kiss pressed to his lips was feather light. “Forever and ever”, Scott breathed, before rolling off him and snuggling close against his side. “You think, it’s time for sleep”, Scott yawned.  
“That is actually the last thing on my mind. How about we---“  
“I forgot something.” Scott ran a finger along his chest, slowly tracing a pattern. “I’m sorry. No fun tonight.”  
Reyes sighed. He knew what Scott had forgotten.  
“There’s a sedative in your night time dose, isn’t there?”  
“Yep. If we’re lucky, I have about five minutes.”

“Promise me something.”  
“I’m drugged. Legally speaking, I shouldn’t---“  
“Promise me SAM stops helping you. Promise me—“  
“I’m not changing my armour back.”  
“I wouldn’t dream of asking you that. It keeps you safe out there. Keeps you coming home to me. No. Promise me you’ll accept all your...” He ran an idle finger along the scar at the base of Scott’s neck. How should he phase this?  
“Battle scars?”  
Reyes kissed his forehead  
“I couldn’t have put it better myself. Yes. Your battle scars.”  
“Only one of which is visible.”  
“Yes but---“  
“But that’s only when I don’t wear a shirt.”  
“It’s still---“  
“Which only happens when I’m around you so---“  
“Scott, can I---“  
“So only you get to see what that ugly bastard did to me. Unless I listen to you and SAM stops helping me In which case—“

Reyes silenced him with a kiss.  
“Are you done?”  
“Sorry”, Scott mumbled. “Lexi says I ramble when I’m drugged.”  
“I can now attest to that fact. Baby, no one is going to think less of you. In fact, it’s going to remind everyone of what you did for them.”  
“It’s only been three months. Don’t think anyone has forgotten yet. Everywhere we go it’s all thank yous and endless words of gratitude. Let me name my baby after you. Take me, Pathfinder. I’m yours.”  
Reyes’s chuckles at Scott’s exasperated tone stopped.

“What was that last one?”  
“Babies?”  
“Please tell me you told them you were taken.”  
“By a very jealous, protective boyfriend.”  
“I’m not---“  
“Who thinks the world of me. Who I wouldn’t trade for anything.”  
“Good.”  
“Besides, there’s only one kingdom in the cluster and I’m already dating its king. Can’t do better than that.”  
“No, my queen”, Reyes ran a gentle hand through Scott’s hair. “You really can’t.”  
“Unless the cluster has a...“

“Has a what?” He looked down to see Scott sound asleep, his head resting on his chest. He kissed his forehead before closing his own eyes. He lay there in the silence before he opened his eyes again as he realized what Scott was going to say.  
“You are never hearing the end of this, my wannabe empress.”


End file.
